Thursday, October 9, 2014

Cast Set For 'What The Butler Saw' At Taper

Charles Shaughnessy

Rehearsals Begin Tuesday, October 14

Casting is set for award-winning British playwright
Joe Orton’s riotous farce “What the Butler Saw,” opening at the
Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum on November 23, 2014. Rehearsals begin October 14, previews begin November 12 and performances run through December 21.

“What the Butler Saw” is directed by farce veteran and Orton expert
John Tillinger, who previously directed the Orton plays“Loot” and “Entertaining Mr. Sloane” in repertoryat the Taper (1987). Set design is by James Noone, costume design is by
Laurie Churba Kohn, lighting design is by Ken Billington and John McKernon, sound design is by
John Gromada, wigs and hair are by Carol F. Doran,Casting is by Mark B. Simon, CSA, and the production stage manager is
David S. Franklin.

Set
in the consulting room of a private psychiatric clinic, the action
begins when the very proper
Dr. Prentice (played by Shaughnessy) is interrupted by his wife
(Barber) just as he is about to seduce a beautiful, young woman who is
applying for a job as a secretary (Manton). As his botched efforts to
conceal his actions spiral outrageously out of control,
Orton ferociously skewers psychiatry, religion, marriage, morality, government and definitions of gender.